Loyalty
by RedLion2
Summary: With Leo missing, Meli, April, and the brothers set out to find him and bring him home. To their dismay, when Leo is finally found, he is no longer the turtle they knew him to be. Leo x OC. Set in the Stronger-verse (based of off 2012 series), after Stronger and Confidence. This story will be darker in content.
1. Misdirection

I do not own _TMNT _or its associated characters. I do own Meli Tompkins. Please do not use her in any story. Thank you.

_I needed a break after finishing "Confidence," as that story took a turn I hadn't originally seen coming. I've been kicking around what happens next, as some of you have probably also been doing. Please note that though I have ideas, I'm not committed to any certain one, and am going to depend on the turtles and Meli herself, as I write this. It's going to be darker, as Leonardo has been pushed beyond what many could ever withstand. So please bear with me as we delve into the hearts and minds of the turtles and of Meli._

LOYALTY:

CHAPTER ONE: MISDIRECTION

Meli Tompkins finished cleaning up the kitchen in the lair, having sent the boys off to watch TV. It was late; her cell phone showed midnight on the nose as she sat down in a chair at the table and laid her head down to rest on the cool table top. Too many nights she'd fallen asleep like this, exhausted after a day of working at the Trove and searching for her missing boyfriend at night. On Raphael's call they hadn't gone out tonight; it was the middle of April, and thunderstorms were wreaking havoc over the city of New York. While glad for the break, she wondered if maybe tonight they would've found Leo. Thinking like that would only give her ulcers, she knew, but that didn't stop the thought from crossing her weary mind.

A gentle hand rested on her right shoulder, and Raph said, "C'mon. You need some decent sleep." His voice was quiet but commanding. She nodded and pushed herself up. Raph didn't smile at her; he didn't seem to have that ability much anymore. None of them did, really. Leo had been missing for over a year, and during that time, most of their emotions had simply dried up.

"Okay." She trudged out of the kitchen and across the pit into Leo's room, where she spent every night. She changed into shorts and a t shirt and fell into bed, already knowing her dreams would be tortured affairs ending with her losing Leo all over again. Every night, it was the same, and she wished sometimes that she just wouldn't wake up. But feeling that way was cowardly. She would never give up hope of finding him, though with each passing night, it became harder to believe that they'd ever find him. Dragging the blankets over her, she settled in on Leo's pillow and closed her eyes, succumbing to her nightly terrors.

"Meli, wake up. C'mon."

She sat up abruptly, welcoming Raph's wired voice. She'd been about to watch Leo disappear over the edge of a cliff, and hadn't been successful in rousing herself from the ghastly nightmare. She shoved back the blankets. "What is it?" she whispered.

"We got something. Get up." Raph turned and left the room, and she sighed, getting up and quickly pulling on jeans and a sweatshirt before following him. Donnie, April, and Mikey were waiting just outside her door, and she saw Splinter carefully making his way toward them through the darkness.

"What's going on?" Meli asked once Splinter had reached them.

"Got a call," Raph said, touching his cell phone. "Information about Leo's whereabouts."

"From someone we can trust?" April asked, suspicious. As they all should be; over the past year and some months, they'd received tips from different sources, some designed just to lead them into trouble.

Raph shrugged his massive shoulders. "Don't know, but we still need to check it out." He looked at Meli. "Right? You with me on this?"

"Yes." All the way, every time. He knew that. Any little thing that could possibly lead them to Leo was worth checking out, no matter how small. "What did the person say?"

"Said they knew where Leo was being held. They want to meet with us." Raph nodded at Meli and pointed to himself. "Just us, though. No one else or they'll walk."

"Sounds like a trap," Donnie said, irritated. "You two can't go alone."

"We have to," Meli said. She kept her voice quiet, but firm. "We'll be okay."

Donnie started to argue, but April wrapped her arm around his, halting whatever he'd been about to say. He sighed. "Fine, but stay in contact. We can't lose both of you too." The pain in his voice was barely concealed.

Raph nudged his shoulder. "Don't worry your little geeky head. We'll be fine." He reached out and took Meli's hand, squeezing it gently. "Ready?"

"Yes." Of course she was. Maybe this time would be different. Maybe this time they'd actually learn something, and they could begin the real search to bring Leo home, where he belonged.

"Stay in contact," Donnie directed.

"Be careful," April said.

"Come back safely," Splinter said.

"Mike? You got anything?" Raph asked their youngest brother. Mikey shook his head, but his eyes told them everything, anyway. He desperately needed his oldest brother back.

"Let's go," Meli said, tugging on Raph's hand. They jumped over the turnstiles and raced down the tunnel, and she prayed that this time, things were going to be different.

Twenty minutes later, they stood in front of an old abandoned building that should've been demolished years ago. Raph stared at it. "This is it. Stay close to me, Mel."

"You know I will." She'd gotten better at fighting, but she knew she wasn't up to handling a fight on her own. She needed the protection that Raph gave her. He squeezed her hand and let go, and they walked into the building. Paint was peeling off the walls, and the floor was dirty with filth from years of neglect. Meli tried not to breathe in the foul air too much. At the end of the hall, Raph went down a section of stairs, and she followed, trusting him to keep them both safe.

A single light bulb burned at the room the stairs ended in, and two men stood there. They looked ordinary, with no gang colors or signs of other allegiances. Raph stopped and held his hand up, signaling her to stay behind him. "So what do you got?" he asked the men, keeping his eyes on them.

They stared at him impassively, until his temper had had enough. "Either ya talk to me, or—"

"Or what, Raphael?"

He froze, and shudders wended their through Meli's body as she stood shivering behind him. They both knew that voice, and all at once, hatred so deep and dark it burned Meli's soul. She charged out from behind Raph toward the young woman stepping out of the shadows.

"You!" Meli cried. She jerked to a halt as Raph caught her right hand, hauling her back to his side. He kept a grip on her.

"Me." Karai smiled benignly at them. "Were you really thinking of hurting me, Meli? I doubt you could. Your companion, however…." Karai's smile grew feral. "My, my, Raphael, I forget how very big you are." Her voice was velvet steel.

"You gotta lot of guts coming here, or you're just plain stupid," Raph growled. "Tell me about Leo."

"Leo." Her smile wavered for a second before fading altogether. "I know where he is."

"You're lying. You're just setting us up," Meli snapped.

Karai regarded her for several long moments. "I've never understood his devotion to you, you know. I've tried. But I'm never going to get it." She held out her left hand, palm up. "'This is a small map of an island in the south Pacific." A piece of paper stretched across her palm. "This is where Leonardo is."

"Why are you coming to us?" Raph asked. "You're the one who kidnapped him, so why help us?"

"If that's what she's doing," Meli said. She was tense, and angry, and a tension headache throbbed behind her hazel eyes.

Karai dropped the map on the floor. "It's your choice, Raphael. You can either believe me, or not. It doesn't really matter to me." She raised her eyes to his. "But it might matter to your brother." She nodded toward the door. "You're going to let us walk out of here, and I'm going to let you two live. For now."

Raph snarled something unbecoming under his breath, but pulled Meli to the side of the room. She struggled, wanting to bury her fist in Karai's smug face, but her brother was much too strong and simply held her at his side. Karai nodded to them as she left.

"Remember, it's your choice," she said. She dropped something to the floor, and blue smoke rolled across the floor of the room and rose, obscuring her and the men as they left.

"Let go!" Meli said, jerking hard against Raph's restraining hold.

"Settle down," he told her, his voice hard. "I don't trust her."

"Well me either, which is why I want to follow her."

"Not today." Raph walked over to where Karai had dropped the paper and picked it up. "Well, it is a map, so at least she wasn't lying about that."

"We can't trust her, Raph. You and I both know that," Meli said. She walked over to him, not liking it when he didn't immediately agree. She looked at the map as he held it; the island looked rather big, and she wondered, just for a second, if it was possible that Leo was there. But she quickly shook that thought off. "Raph, please tell me you don't believe her. You can't."

He took a deep breath and met her hot gaze. "I don't trust her, Mel, but what if there's a tiny chance she's tellin' the truth? We owe it to Leo to do whatever we can to find him, right?"

They did, and he knew it. She nodded, suddenly feeling tears in her eyes at the very small idea that Leo could possibly be on the island, and that they could find and rescue him. She quickly wiped at her eyes, hating that she could so easily be reduced to tears. Raph gently wiped a stray tear from her chin.

"We won't know until we go looking," he said. "I know it's a really tiny thread, especially since it's comin' from Karai, but really, what do we got to lose?" he asked. His voice was soft but firm.

"Okay." Meli nodded, breathing deeply. "We need to show the others."

"Right. Come on." They headed out of the room, and Meli couldn't help but feel like somehow, Karai was leading them into a trap.

A half hour later, Donnie stood shaking his head at Raph and scowling. "I can't believe you even listened to her, Raphael. Do you really believe she'd help us find him? She's the one who kidnapped him!" Donnie's voice rose. "How stupid are you two?"

"Hey!" Raph snarled. "Call me stupid all you want, but _don't_ say that about Meli!"

"Enough!" Splinter bellowed, stepping in-between his two sons. "Sit down! All of you!"

Meli plopped down on the couch next to Mikey, who stared with wide eyes at their father. Raph sat on her other side, his mouth drawn tight in a grimace of anger. "Raph, it's okay," she whispered to him, touching his arm. He didn't say anything.

"Now, let's discuss this rationally," Splinter said. He held up the map. "If there is a chance this is a real island, and that Leonardo might be on it, I think we need to check into it. Yes?" He looked around at his two surrogate daughters and three sons.

"But Father, how are we going to get to the island? I mean, look at us," Donnie said. "It's not like we can just hop on a plane or something."

"We can figure that out," Meli said. She glanced at April, looking for back up, but April was staring at the floor, avoiding any eye contact. Meli looked up at Splinter. "I know we can figure that out, Sensei. If Leo is really on that island, we have to go." She still didn't trust Karai, or Karai's intentions with giving them the map and information, but if there was any chance that Leo could be on that island, they had to go. No matter what they had to do to get there.

"I agree," Splinter said. "Is there a chance your father could help us with this?"

Meli considered. She'd finally told her father what was going on in her personal life when he'd come to stay with her six months ago, after he'd demanded to know why she was so apathetic and depressed and why, for heaven's sake, she disappeared each and every night. Alastair Tompkins had been shocked, of course, but after meeting Raph, and then the rest of her new family, he'd realized finding Leo was the only thing that could ever right the tailspin his only child was in. He'd set off with a couple of treasure-hunting friends to see if they could find anything. So far, he'd come up empty-handed time and again.

"I think he would. He knows a lot of small travel companies, and he might be able to get us a plane ride, if that island has a landing strip," she finally said.

"We could take a boat, too, depending on how far out this island is," April suggested, finally looking up. Meli saw there was a spark of hopefulness in her green eyes, and wondered if perhaps her older sister was simply trying not to appear too hopeful, in case this lead dissolved into nothingness like so many others had over the last year.

"We need to figure out where the island is," Meli said, "and then we can decide how best to get there." She nudged Raph. "You can help me."

"No. I'll look it up," Donnie said, turning away from them. He held his hand out to April.

"How though? I mean, you don't even know what island it is," Mikey said. He sounded suspicious of the whole thing, and Meli couldn't blame him. She herself barely wanted to have hope. "I mean, Karai gave you the map. Why would she tell us the truth?"

"We've got to keep faith, Mikey," Meli said softly. She touched his arm. "And maybe this lead will fizzle like all the other ones, but we still have to try. Leo would want us to try." It almost hurt to say his name, yet she forced herself to, as much as conversation allowed for. It was a small way of keeping him included, even though none of them could ever forget him.

He sighed. "I know, but…it's _Karai_. You can't tell me you trust her." He met Meli's soft gaze, and she shuddered at the lack of warmth in his eyes. There hadn't been any warmth to Michelangelo in a very long time.

"Whether or not we trust her, we gotta follow through on this, Mike," Raph said, getting to his feet. "We don't have a choice."

"We don't," Donnie echoed. "Much as I'd like to say we do." He nodded to Splinter. "April and I will figure out what island this is, Sensei, and we can go from there."

"Hai, my son. Do what you need to do," Splinter told him. He watched them go, then turned to the other three. "We mustn't lose hope of finding him. He is out there."

"We know, Sensei," Meli murmured, wishing she felt more conviction. Though she wanted to really believe this was it, that this time would be the time they'd find Leo, she couldn't get past the doubts, and the fact that Karai had been the one to give them the map. Raph touched her shoulder and jerked his head toward the turn stiles. She nodded and followed him out of the pit. Once they'd left the lair, he turned to her, determination hardening his face.

"I know they don't think this is it, but I do," he told her. "Don't know why, especially since it's Karai, but it's just a gut feeling." He crossed his arms over his plastron and stared at her.

"You want me to argue with you?" Meli rubbed a hand across her forehead. "I don't know what to think. I mean, she's our enemy. She's the one who took Leo. Why would she be trying to help us now?"

"Maybe she decided to turn good," Raph said.

Meli gave a delicate snort. "Really, Raphael?"

"No." He shook his head. "Not really. I don't trust her either, but we've got to do whatever it takes to find him." He looked down at the ground, and Meli saw, for a small moment, how vulnerable, how distraught, her older brother really was. Since Leo had been taken, Raph had stepped up into the role of team leader, though it was clear he wasn't comfortable with it. He'd done a good job, but his heart wasn't in it, not like Leo's always had been. Meli reached out and touched Raph's arm, drawing his gaze to hers.

"Then let's go find him, bro," she said, hoping her voice carried some conviction.

He gave her a half-hearted smile, this big tough brother of hers, and pulled her into a tight hug, into which she snuggled, because they both needed the contact. He held her for a few seconds longer than normal and let go, taking hold of her hand. "Come on. The more we bug Donnie, the faster he'll get his research on the island done."

"And you just like bothering him, anyway," Meli said, smiling as she followed Raph back into the lair.

"Yup." They headed to the lab, and April met them at the door, a frown on her face.

"This island of yours doesn't exist," she said. She spoke in a low tone, but there was fire in her green eyes. "This is what you get for trusting her."

"What do you mean it doesn't exist?" Raph jerked his head toward Donnie, who sat in front of his computer. "We have a map."

Donnie turned in his chair to face them. "Yes, but it doesn't have to be a real map, Raph." His disgust was apparent, and Meli frowned.

"It's not our fault, Donnie. We didn't know," she said.

"I know." Donnie sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I really wanted to believe that this might be a solid lead, but it's not looking like it."

Raph said nothing, just turned and walked out of the lab. Meli watched him go, wanting badly to cheer him up, and knowing there was absolutely nothing she, or the others, could say. April gave her a quick hug.

"It's okay. We know he's out there. We just have to keep looking," she said quietly. "Don't give up."

"I won't." And Meli meant it, to the core of her heart. Leo was out there, somewhere, and they would find him. If she had to tear apart the earth herself, she was going to bring him home.


	2. Decisions

I don't own the Turtles or their associated characters. Meli Tomkins is mine, though. Please do not borrow her.

Thank you for the reviews so far. Things are going to get dangerous very quickly for the Turtles, April, and Meli. If you like what you're reading, or even if you don't, please leave a review. And if you don't like what you're reading, please be respectful in your reviews.

LOYALTY

CHAPTER TWO: DECISIONS

Meli fidgeted as she waited behind Raph on top of the roof. He was staring down at the street, his body tense. They'd decided to call Karai on her useless map and see if she bothered to show up. The cool April night air was welcome against her flushed cheeks; she was starting to get a cold, but had been careful to keep that knowledge to herself. Otherwise, there was no way Raph would've let her come with him tonight.

"Anything yet?" she asked.

"No." His voice was sharp, but she knew he didn't mean anything by it. Karai had told them she'd show at 1 AM; that time had come and gone in that last ten minutes, and Raph was annoyed. Meli was, too. It wasn't like they couldn't be doing other things right now, like searching for signs of Leo, or someone who might know where he was.

"Really, Raphael. You think I'd show up just where I said I would?" Karai's cold voice came from behind them.

Raph spun around on one foot, pushing Meli behind him as he did. She bit her lip and tried not to think about how close she was to the edge of the roof. Leaning against his shell, she peeked around him so she could see Karai.

"The map's a fake, Karai," Raph said. His voice was steel. "What're you tryin' to pull?"

"I'm not pulling anything, Raphael." Karai smiled. It made Meli shiver. "I suppose you looked up those coordinates, didn't you? Or maybe Donatello did? And he didn't find anything, did he?" She tapped a long black nail against her lower lip. "Suppose I told you that island isn't on any conventional maps, including Google? Suppose I told you it's a secret my father has kept hidden away from all prying eyes?"

"Yeah? How's he doing that?" The disbelief in Raph's voice was cutting.

Karai smiled again. "Why don't you just go investigate for yourselves? There's a beach where you could land a boat. The map I gave you is real, Raphael. Go see for yourself."

"Why should we trust anything you say?" Meli lunged out from behind Raph, going far enough outside him that when he tried to grab her, he missed. She marched over to the kunoichi and stared at her. "You're the one who took him away from us."

"Yes, I did." Karai looked her over. "My, you've gotten brave in his absence. Raphael's training must be paying off." She side-stepped around Meli so she could see Raph. "I know you don't trust me. I wouldn't trust me, either. But do this for Leonardo's sake, please. He," she paused, and her voice softened, "he needs you." She turned her gaze to Meli. "All of you." Before either of them could say anything, she dropped a smoke bomb and disappeared.

"Ugh, I hate how she does that," Meli said. She turned back to Raph, who was looking pensive. And pensive, for Raph, wasn't usually a good thing. "Raph? What are you thinking?"

He didn't answer her right away, and that made her nervous. While she wanted to find Leo at any cost, she wasn't so sure about trusting Karai blindly. The female ninja had never once been on their side, had never once in the past year offered any help to them. So why now? _Maybe Leo's hurt, or about to be really hurt or something._ The thought was so piercing and harsh that she involuntarily gasped, causing Raph to immediately move to her, putting his hands on her slim shoulders.

"What is it?" he asked. When she didn't answer right away, he tightened his grip and gave her a small shake. "Meli? Answer me."

She looked up at him, into those emerald eyes she now knew so well, and tried not to cry with grief. "What if Karai's doing this because Leo's been hurt? Or about to be really hurt?" she whispered, because she couldn't make her voice any louder than that. Raph's eyes softened.

"Hey," he said, tipping her chin up with one thick finger, "we'll find him. He's going to be okay." He gave her a quick hug. "Come on. Let's go talk to the others."

But Meli pulled back from him. "Are we going to follow the map?" She wasn't sure that Karai was telling the truth, most likely wasn't, but this was the only promising lead they'd had in a year.

He turned to her, nodding. "Yeah, we are. I know we shouldn't trust her, Mel, but…damn it, we need a break." His voice was low and rough with emotion, and she quickly hugged him, wishing there was something she could do to ease his pain. They all missed Leo so much. She'd felt absolutely hollow since his disappearance the year before, and nothing would fill that void until she could hold him again. Raph gave her a tight squeeze. "Let's go home," he said, letting go of her but taking her hand. She followed him willingly this time.

A half-hour later they all stood around the kitchen. Meli and Raph were eating some ramen while Donnie and April stared at the map. "It's possible, I guess, using Kraang technology, to disguise an island," Donnie told them. He leaned down and tapped the map. "So, saying it's possible, does this mean we're going?" He looked at Splinter, who eyed Raphael.

"Raphael?" Splinter said.

Raph nodded. "We are. I know we can't trust Karai, but she was adamant that we check out the island. And we owe to Leo, and to ourselves, to check out every possible lead. Meli says she thinks her father can get us a boat to get out there." He rested his left hand on Meli's right shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "We should know by tomorrow morning what he can do for us."

"And if he can't?" Mikey turned his head to stare at his older brother. "What then?"

"Then we find a boat ourselves," Meli said, her tone firm. She locked eyes with the youngest turtle. "We're going to that island, Mikey, and we're hopefully going to find Leo." She felt Raph's hand tighten on her shoulder, and leaned into him, grateful for his unending, unceasing support and care. She'd never have made it this far without him.

Mikey slowly nodded. "Okay," he finally said.

"I'm tired. Anyone else?" Raph asked, effectively ending the conversation for the moment.

Meli nodded to him, but what she wanted was _real _sleep. Real sleep, not the shady facsimile she'd been dealing with the last year. But that would entail having Leo in bed beside her, his arms wrapped around her, holding her close to his plastron. And that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Because, even if they found the island, and got to it, didn't mean that he was going to be on it. _Karai did seem pretty emphatic about us going there, though. And I know she really likes Leo, so maybe she really is just trying to get him help._

"You look tired, Mel," Raph said as the others filtered out of the kitchen. "Go get some rest."

"When you do," she told him, eying him. "I know you aren't getting any sleep, Raph. You need to rest." She spoke gently, knowing he was as screwed up over Leo's kidnapping as she was.

He rubbed his head, jerking the ties of his mask and pulling it off. Seeing the boys without their masks had taken Meli a while to get used to. They rarely took them off; usually it was at night, when they were sleeping. Raph had a scar beneath his right eye, earned when he was still a teenager, still learning how to handle himself in a fight. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her. "I know. You'd think I'd be able to, seeing as how we're out almost all night." He heaved a deep sigh. "I just, I keep replaying that night. I never, ever, shoulda left him with Karai and her men. I shoulda known he'd need backup." His voice was harsh with emotions that he didn't often share.

Meli moved closer to him and touched his upper arm. "If you hadn't come for me, I don't know how long I would've been there, Raph. I needed you that night," she said gently. "And Leo knew that. He was trying to protect both of us, because that's what he does. That's who he is." As she spoke, tears filled her eyes and this time, she just let them come. She was tired of holding back her own emotions so that the others wouldn't hurt by watching her melt down.

"Ah, Mel…" Raph's voice drifted off as he wrapped her up in his strong arms, cradling her close to his plastron. "I'm sorry. This isn't about me. It's about him."

Meli couldn't do anything but nod her head against his warm chest. She knew, in her heart, that if this lead turned out false, or if they discovered it was a cruel joke, that she wouldn't be able to keep doing this. Eventually, she would wear down and be nothing. It was true of the others, too. She'd seen Mikey spiraling into depression over the last year, had watched Donnie and April withdraw into themselves so far that no one else could reach them but each other. And Splinter…she closed her eyes to stop the tide. This wasn't helping, this feeling sorry for herself. Raph was right: it was about Leo, not any of them.

"It'll get better. It has to, right?" Raph kissed the top of her head and let go of her. "C'mon. We both need some serious shut-eye tonight." He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen. It was dark in the lair; the others had all gone off to their own bedrooms, or in Donnie and April's case, his lab, where they spent almost every night. Raph led her into his room, and she balked, pulling back. "C'mon, it's okay," he told her.

"Raph, I don't—"

"We're not sleeping together," he told her, turning to look at her as he shut his door. "But I think we'll both sleep better if we're, you know, together in the same room." He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them gently. "Take the bed. I'll sleep in the recliner."

Meli's heart bloomed with warmth for her brother, and she hugged him fiercely. "Thank you, bro. You're right, we'll both sleep better." She turned and got into his bed, snuggling down into the warm comforter. "You're okay in the chair?"

"Hush. I'm trying to sleep," he said. There was a tiny hint of laughter in his voice that comforted her.

"Thanks, Raph," she whispered, feeling better already. Maybe tonight she wouldn't have the horrible nightmares. And, if she did, her older brother would be there to calm her fears. For the first time in a year, Meli drifted off peacefully into sleep.

The following morning, she texted her father to see if he'd had any luck locating a boat. He texted back, saying he'd found nothing, and asked her if maybe the crazy ninja girl had a boat they could borrow. She scoffed and showed the text to Raph, who looked at her and shrugged.

"Maybe she does. She's pretty set on us getting to that island," he told her.

"What? Are you serious? She'd probably sink the boat out in the middle of the ocean!" Meli said, trying not to sound like she was yelling. Raph rolled his eyes.

"We're awesome swimmers. We'd be fine."

"Yeah, you and the boys. What about April and me?" she said.

"As if I'd let anything happen to you, or April. Right." Raph turned away. "I'll text Karai and see what she says. I'll let ya know." He left the pit, and Meli sighed and threw her phone down on the couch. The others had all disappeared into their own worlds, and she sat down, wondering if they were doing the right thing by going to Karai to for help.

She'd really hoped her father would be able to score them a boat, but realized it had been false hope. It wasn't likely anyone would want to give passage to three huge talking turtles and two young women. Her thoughts drifted to Leo. _Is he okay? If he's on this island, why is he there? What has the Shredder been doing with him? Is Saito involved in this?_ They hadn't run across the giant lizard since Leo had been taken captive, but it bothered Meli that he was still out there. Shivers ran up and down her spine as she remembered how very close she'd come to losing her life in their battle against him, and how Leo had chosen to save her over fighting for his own life.

"Hey." Raph jumped the couch and landed next to her, and she chased away the scary memories. "So Karai can get us there. We have to leave tonight."

"That soon?" Meli took a breath. "On a boat?"

"Yeah. No questions asked. We just have to meet the boat at the docks tonight." Raph watched her carefully. "Look, I know you don't trust her, sis, but this might be it. He might be on this island." His voice was low and heavy.

"I say we do it," she told him. His green eyes lit up.

"Yeah?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Get the others. We're doing this." Raph took off and she breathed deeply for several seconds. They were really going to go after a lead, even though it was coming from one of their main enemies. She couldn't quite believe it. In moments, Raph had the others gathered, and gave them the info Karai had given him.

"So?" he asked, after laying the plan down. "Meli and I are in. What about you guys?"

Donnie and April exchanged a look that only the two of them could decipher. "It sounds good, Raph, but what if we get out there on this boat, and Karai sinks it?" April asked, wary.

"You sound like Meli," Raph said, frowning. "If she did something like that, we'd be okay. We'd take care of you," he added, nodding at Donnie and Mikey.

"We have to go." Mikey spoke in the same flat voice he'd been using for the last year. "If there's a chance Leo is on that island, we have to go look for him. He'd go look for us."

"Yeah, he would." Donnie sighed. "Much as I absolutely hate to trust Karai, we don't have any choice." He looked at Splinter. "Sensei, what about you? Will you come with us?"

Their father shook his head. "No, my son. Someone must stay here and take care of our home. But I believe this time we may actually find Leonardo. You must go and seek him, and if found, bring him home."

"We will, Father," Raph said emphatically. He looked at his brothers and sisters. "Get packed. We've gotta meet the boat at ten tonight."

Everyone hurried off, either to pack, or in Splinter's case, to meditate, and Meli slowly got up, grabbing her phone and sticking it in her pocket. "I've gotta run to the Trove," she told Raph. "I need to make a sign that says I'll be on vacation."

He snorted. "Some vacation." Tucking his T-phone back into his belt, he added, "I'll go with you."

"No, it's okay. You need to get ready, too. I won't be gone long."

"Not the point." His mouth formed a grim line. "Just because we're borrowing Karai's boat doesn't mean I trust her. I don't want anything happening to you." His voice was firm, and she knew there would be no talking him out of it. Once Raphael had made a decision, that was it.

"Okay, fine," she said. "Let's go." It wasn't like this was the first time she'd ever gone to the Trove without him. She had to work every week day, so there were plenty of times she'd been by herself there. But she also saw Raph's point, and didn't want anything happening to her, either.

"Meli." Raph reached out and snagged her wrist, stopping her. She turned and met his solemn eyes. "I'm doing the best I can. I know I'm not Leo, and I know—"

"Let me stop you right there." She put her hand over his mouth. He went still, his green eyes boring into her hazel ones with hot intensity. Dropping her hand, she said, "You aren't Leo, and that's a good thing. You've kept this family, this team, together because you're different. I know you want to protect me, protect all of us, and I want you to protect me. I mean, I know I'm not a fighter. I'm never going to be. I don't _want_ to be. I need you to watch out for me, Raphael. I'm not upset with you. I'm just…" She trailed off, feeling the burn of tears in the back of her eyes. "I need this to be it, Raph. I need Leo to be on that island, I need to find him, and I need him to come home." She was proud that she was able to get through all of her words without tears clogging up her throat.

"I know. Me too." Raph pointed out into the tunnel. "So let's get goin'."

She nodded, turning away, glad he wasn't going to hug her this time. They needed to get themselves together, and get on that boat. Even if they had no faith in Karai or her words, they had faith in one another. They were a family, and they were going to get back the brother and boyfriend that they'd lost.


	3. Change

I do not own TMNT or their associated characters. Meli Tomkins is mine.

Thank you to those who have left reviews, favorited and followed this story, or myself. It's my pleasure to share this ongoing series with you all. Some chapters will be from Leo's point-of-view, and these will be shorter than the others. I have a reason for this; I'm sure you will be able to pick up on that. Enjoy!

LOYALTY

CHAPTER THREE: CHANGE

**ONE WEEK AGO:**

Leo crouched in his cage, staring out at the three men standing in front of it. He noted that they made sure not to get too close to him. They knew how fast he moved, how deadly he was. He wasn't sure he liked the cage; he'd gotten used to his box, where he could hide away and concentrate on his next fight. The cage allowed too much distraction. One of the men pointed at him with a smile. Leo knew why he was smiling. He'd become the best fighter they had. The only reason he was still alive was because he'd won every single fight they'd thrown at him. He was invincible, they said. Unstoppable.

He turned his head away, but kept listening. They spoke in a foreign tongue he didn't recognize, but it didn't matter. They were probably setting up his next fight. There were a few other cages besides his on the warehouse floor. Two other mutants and one man, a mountain of a man named Zeus by their captors. Leo didn't know what his real name had been, and didn't care. He hadn't had to fight Zeus yet; he was sure that was because their owners didn't want to lose one of them. Their fights were always to the death.

Another man joined them, and their talk became heated, angry. Leo turned back to watch them, his eyes mere slits of blue in his handsome face. His mask was getting ragged and worn, but he refused a new one. The newest man walked over and stared at him, keeping out of range of Leo's fast hands. "You're looking good, turtle. You'll be getting a change of scenery here in the next couple of hours. We're putting you on a ship. Going to an island. Should be exciting." The man's English was heavily accented with whatever his native tongue was.

Leo made no move to show he'd understood. He knew his captors, his owners, were starting to suspect that he'd gone mad, that he'd lost whatever decency he'd arrived with. The truth wasn't that far removed. He knew he was losing himself more and more every day to the horror he had to endure. Killing his opponents was easy now, and he never delayed their death in the ring. He never saw any sense in that.

The man stared at him for a few more minutes, during which Leo kept his gaze steady on his. Finally, seeming unnerved, the man walked back to the others. He said something quietly to them, and they all cast speculative gazes upon Leo, who was growing tired of being gawked at. He walked to the front of the cage and rested his hands lightly on the bars, his eyes focused on them. One of them made a rude gesture his way and then the four of them departed. Leo turned away and sat down in the middle of the cage.

He closed his eyes and focused on his next fight. He never knew who he was fighting until he entered the ring, but he concentrated on going through all of his moves, his tactics. But the information the man had given him kept disrupting his train of thought. Why were they sending him to an island? He thought back to the survivalist shows Mikey had always liked watching. Was that their new plan? Turn him and the other captives loose on the island let them kill each other? _If that's the case, maybe it would be best to just let them put me down._ There was no escaping his captors. He had agreed to this life to keep those he loved safe. A vision of Meli swam across his eyes and he swore, forcing the image away. He would never see her again, or any of his family. There was no use thinking about them.

A big front-end loader tractor roared into the warehouse, and Leo knew they were moving them all now. He remained sitting. There was no reason to be upset or afraid. He coughed a dry chuckle. Fear had no hold on him any longer. He didn't even fear death. It would be a nice release from the pain he suffered every day. But just letting himself get killed by one of his opponents wouldn't work – if they thought he'd thrown the match, they would go after his family and Meli. They'd made that very clear the day he'd been taken. _The day I let myself get taken._ If his family knew what he'd done, that he'd willingly gone along with Karai, he wondered if they would ever forgive him for leaving them. Would Meli forgive him? He hoped that she'd moved on by now, found another guy to love her and take care of her.

The tractor had already loaded the other cages and was now bearing down on his. He simply sat still as it picked his cage up and took it outside. A big flat-bed truck was waiting, and the tractor slid his cage onto it. Leo stared out at the activity around him. The sky was dark, of course, and he could just make out a few twinkling stars. Funny, he'd never noticed the stars above New York City, because the City was always backlit with lights and noise and chaos. The stars really were beautiful.

A man got into the truck and started the engine, and Leo began moving. He closed his eyes, feeling the rhythm of the swaying truck, and liking it. The ride was short, however, and he saw a big freighter in the harbor. His competitors had already been loaded onto it, and he got up, moving to the bars of the cage and gripping them as his cage was lifted off the truck and carried by tractor onto the ship. None of the dock workers so much as glanced his way, and he wondered what other strange cargo they'd carried before. Certainly a group of mutants and a man the size of a mountain was bizarre. The captain of the vessel wasted no time in taking it out to sea, and soon Leo lost the coastline in the darkness.

He settled in on the floor of the cage. The air was warm, hot, even, and the scent of salt water stung his nose. He stretched out on his side, trying to sleep. Whatever was ahead for him, he knew he would need rest.


	4. Storm

I don't own TMNT.

Wow, thank you for the reviews, and for everyone who has made this story a favorite. And to Bunearygirl, thank you for the kind words and encouragement. Things will start happening faster after this chapter.

LOYALTY

CHAPTER FOUR: STORM

Meli stared over the railing of the big yacht, her hazel eyes taking in the sun dancing on the open water of the ocean. They'd been onboard for five days now, and she wasn't over the magnificent sight yet. She wasn't sure she'd ever be. Someone approached and leaned on the railing next to her, and she leaned into him.

"How ya doin'?" Raph asked, putting his arm around her.

"Good. But I'll be glad to get there and find him," Meli said. There was a confidence in her voice that hadn't been there in a very long time, and she smiled a little.

Raph dropped his arm and leaned on the railing. "I hate to bring ya down, Mel, but he might not be there. You gotta remember that." His voice was gentle, as were his eyes when he glanced at her.

Meli sighed. "I know. I haven't forgotten. But Raph, this is the first real lead we've had since Leo was taken. I can't not be happy about it."

"I know." He nudged her arm. "And I'm glad you're happy. I just don't want you to be too disappointed."

It didn't matter; Meli knew she was going to be upset if Karai had lied to them. Still, she knew the other woman was in love with Leo, too, and Meli suspected that something awful was happening to Leo and Karai didn't want him injured or worse. The kunoichi wasn't with them; she'd said the ship's captain would take them in as close to the island as he could, and they would have to swim from there. Meli wasn't worried about that; she knew the boys would make sure she and April were safe. But she wasn't at all sure what to expect once they reached the island. Would they be able to find Leo right away? Would he be okay? Hurt? _What if he's damaged? What if he doesn't remember us? What if they wiped his mind?_ Meli gave herself a sharp mental shake. Leo would never forget who they were.

"Hey, I didn't mean to make ya sad," Raph said a few moments later.

"No, you didn't," she said softly. "I'm glad you're here to keep me on the level, though. Otherwise I might get caught up in some fairytale, believing we'll find him out here on some hidden island."

"Yeah." Raph sighed. "I really hope he's out here, Mel. We need him back."

She wrapped an arm around his waist and hugged him close to her. She didn't say anything; everything that could be said had already been said. They stood quietly together on the deck until Donnie joined them. He leaned on the railing too.

"Captain said a storm is coming in. He said it shouldn't be too strong, but it's the first in a line of storms crossing the Pacific." He spoke quietly, his brown eyes on the water.

"How long will it take to get to the island?" Meli asked him.

Donnie shrugged. "Probably a week or so. We'll have to stop for gas at least once. At least it's a comfortable boat."

Raph snorted. "I don't care about that. I just want to get there."

"Raph, be nice," Meli admonished gently. Things had been tense between the brothers lately, and she didn't want it to escalate. "Donnie's right. We couldn't ask for a better boat to ride on."

The sky was beginning to darken, and a stray bolt of lightning flashed down, disappearing into the water ahead of them. Meli shivered and felt Donnie squeeze her shoulder. "I'm going to head in. You two okay?" she asked them.

"Yeah."

"We're okay," Donnie assured her, smiling. But the smile was forced, and she wondered if the time would come soon when the turtle in purple would be happy again. She sure hoped so. Going inside, she went down a flight of short stairs to the next level where there was a large living room. April was curled up in an easy chair reading, and Mikey was playing a video game. Meli sat down in one of the other chairs and picked up a magazine. But the glossy pages held no interest for her, and she put it down, her mind wandering again to the possibility of finding Leo.

What would he be like? How different would he be? Had his captors hurt him extensively? Would Karai have allowed that to happen? Meli was almost positive the kunoichi wouldn't have. She genuinely seemed to love Leo. _Not that she knows what real love is. I doubt even if it was staring her in the face she'd know._ Instead of feeling angry at the other girl, though, Meli only felt sympathy. She knew it was like to love and be loved. What she felt for Leo was the strongest thing she'd ever encountered. And that was why she knew, no matter what her boyfriend had gone through, what he'd had to endure in the last year, they would be okay. She believed in him, in them.

Lightning cracked overhead, spooking her, and she held her breath as the lights winked out for a few seconds. April put down her book and looked over at her.

"Not sure I like being out here in a storm," the redhead said, her voice shaky.

"Me either," Meli told her.

Mikey set down his controller and turned to face them. "It'll be okay. It's a big boat." His voice was kind, and Meli was grateful for that. He'd been so gruff and ornery the past year that she feared his good nature would never come back. Donnie and Raph walked in and Raph sat next to her, probably knowing the weather was unsettling her.

And it wasn't so much the weather that was bothering her, it was more the fact that if the boat went down in the storm, she'd be in the ocean, with no land in sight. And she had a healthy fear of drowning. She'd nearly drowned twice over a year ago, when an ancient curse had tried to kill her. Raph had saved her the first time, and Leo the second. She shivered, remembering. Raph put his arm around her, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"It's not a big storm," he told her, his voice quiet.

"I know." She laid her head on his powerful shoulder, glad to have him close. The wind was rising, rocking the boat, and she pressed closer to him, feeling his arm tighten.

"Do you want to go further below decks?" he asked.

"No." That was the last place she'd want to be in case the ship did go down – if it did, she wanted a clear shot at getting off of it. Raph seemed to know that was the direction her thoughts were headed in because he leaned in closer to her.

"Hey, it's not going to go down. This storm will pass soon," he whispered.

"Thanks," she whispered back. She knew that even if the boat did go down, Raph would die before letting something happen to her, or to any of his siblings. Leo had always been the natural protector of their family, but Raph was protective by nature, too, and in the absence of his older brother, had made sure the family remained safe and secure.

Mikey had turned the TV back to regular stations, and was surfing, looking for something to watch. Meli was glad he bypassed the two horror movies and the reality show about fishing boats. She felt a little like she was in a horror-themed reality boat show, and didn't need to watch one. They were all quiet for the next half-hour while the storm kicked the ocean into a frenzy around them, until Meli couldn't take it anymore. She got up, pulling away from the safety of Raph's embrace, and headed down the stairs to the side of the living room.

She went into the room she'd claimed as hers five days ago, and sat on the bed, wishing her stomach would quit rolling. A few moments later, Raph appeared in her doorway, took one look at her, and grabbed the small trash can by the door, bringing it over to her. She gave him a weak smile. "I don't think I need that."

"You look like you do," he said, sitting on the bed next to her. "I'll be glad to be off the boat."

"Me too." She said the words fervently. Boats were not exactly her thing. Being surrounded by all this water wasn't her thing, either. "Raph, do you think Leo's okay?" She didn't really want to ask, but the question refused to go away. She turned her head to look at him.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know. I wish to hell I did. I know he can't be in a good place if Karai's willin' to go against her own father to help us find him." He lay back on the bed and clasped his hands on his plastron. "Guess we'll know when we find him."

"Yeah." Meli's stomach heaved and she grabbed the trash can, heaving the contents of her stomach into it. She felt Raph's warm hand on her back, rubbing in soothing circles. "Ugh. Sorry about that," she said softly when she was done retching.

"No need to be sorry." Raph squeezed her shoulder. "Storm should be winding down now."

"Hopefully." She knew she'd never be able to sleep if it didn't.

"You know I'd never let anything happen to ya," he said quietly.

She turned her head to meet his honest gaze. "I know. It's just, all this water. I can't help but think about what almost happened last year." A shiver slid through her slender body. The memories were still vivid in her mind. She'd thought she was dealing well with being on the boat the past five days, but apparently, her memories had simply been lying in wait for a storm to appear.

"This boat is made to take on storms like this," Raph told her. "It's practically brand-new. And even if we do hit a storm that's too much for it, you know I'll be here to keep you safe." His voice was gentle, soft even, and she turned into him, hugging him tightly.

"I'd never have gotten through this last year or so without you," she whispered fiercely. "And I wouldn't have survived the curse if you hadn't been there to save me."

"Aw, don't get all mushy on me now," he said. His voice was hoarse with his own emotions. Meli let out a soft giggle and gave him a tight squeeze before letting go of him and wiping at her eyes.

"I love you, you know," she whispered.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, a smile breaking across his mouth. "Love ya too." He stood and held his hand out to her. "I bet the storm's already movin' off. Wanna go play some Halo or something?"

"Sure." She took his hand and let him lead her down the hall and back upstairs. Mikey was coming from the kitchen, a Coke in his hand, his other hand full of Oreos.

"Leave some for us," Raph told him.

Mikey snarled something under his breath and Raph dropped Meli's hand. "What did you say?" he asked, his voice hard.

"You heard me." Mikey set the pop and cookies down on the nearby table. He turned slowly to face his older brother, and Meli shivered. There was something bleak in Mikey's eyes, something she'd never seen before. Raph took a step closer to him.

"Say it out loud," Raph growled.

"You're not Leo." Mikey set his hands on his belt and stared defiantly at Raph. "You think you're the leader now, bossing us around. You're even getting closer to Meli!" Mikey's eyes flickered to her for a moment, and heat blossomed across her cheeks.

"Mikey, there's nothing going on between Raph and I, you know that," she said. Anger laced like ribbons through her words. "And Raph is the second oldest – it makes sense for him to be the leader right now. Even Splinter knows that."

"It's _Master_ Splinter to you," Mikey snarled. His light blue eyes flashed with rage. "I'm sick of everyone acting like everything is okay! Everything is _not okay!_" His voice rose until it was a yell. "And what if Leo isn't on the island? Then what? What do we do then?" His voice took on a hysterical note.

Donnie and April came running, and Donnie pushed April back behind him, but she forced her way past him, going to the youngest turtle. Taking one look into his blue eyes that had filled with grief and tears, the redhead simply pulled him into her arms and held him. Mikey dropped his face into her neck and sobbed, his arms winding around her waist and holding on tight, as if he might fall to the floor if he wasn't hanging on.

Meli's own eyes filled with tears and she approached the two, gently wrapping her arms around Mikey from behind and leaning her cheek on his shell. She felt his breath heaving as he fought to calm his tears and anguish, and wished there was something, anything, that she could do for him. She'd never seen him break down since Leo's capture, not once, and knew he'd finally reached his breaking point.

Raph put his hand on Meli's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, letting her know he was there, for all three of them. She reached up and put her hand over his, joining him to their little huddle. Donnie stepped in next, hugging April from behind. Meli's tears were for a different reason now; she'd never felt so much a part of family before. The turtles, Splinter, and April had taken her in, given her the love and security she'd always dreamed of having. Even with Leo still missing, she knew she had them. She'd always have them.

Raph and Donnie were the first to step away, and then Meli let go. Mikey straightened and wiped at his face before looking at his two brothers. When he started to speak, Raph shook his head. "You don't have to say anything, Mike," he told his youngest brother, his voice soft. "We get it."

Mikey nodded and looked at Meli. When she too shook her head at him, he said, "No, I need to say sorry for that. I know it's not like that with you and Raph. It's never been. I'm sorry." His voice hitched with the last of his waning tears and emotion, and she impulsively hugged him hard, feeling his strong arms wrap around her.

"It's okay," she assured him.

"Looks like the storm is winding down," Donnie said.

"Yeah, it does," Raph echoed. He cleared his throat. "Anyone else hungry?"

"That's why I had cookies," Mikey said, attempting a grin at his older brother. Raph grinned back.

"Let's eat then. I'm starving." He led the way back into the kitchen. Meli and April let the three boys go.

"I hope Leo is on the island," April said, her voice solemn. "I'm not sure I can take much more tension."

"I think things will be different now, even if he's not there," Meli said. "Mikey needed let go of some of his grief, and he hadn't done that before, at least not with us."

"You're right." April put her arm around Meli and gave her a sisterly squeeze. "Come on, if we don't get in there, the food will be gone."

Meli giggled and followed her sister. It hadn't been easy, watching the youngest turtle melt down, but she knew they all felt better now. It was as if they'd only been able to handle things to a certain point, and now, because of the release, they'd be able to charge forward again with renewed purpose. Even if Karai had been lying, and Leo wasn't on the mystery island, they knew he was still out there somewhere, and they were going to find him.


	5. Distance

I don't own the Turtles or their associated characters. Meli Tompkins is mine.

Here is the next chapter, from Leo's POV. Things will really start to roll after this. Thank you for taking time to follow, favorite, and review. This is the third in the "Stronger" series, set seven years or so after the current TMNT cartoon.

LOYALTY

CHAPTER FIVE: DISTANCE

Leo wasn't sure how long he'd been on the island; he only knew that he'd already killed two other mutants so that he could stay alive. The day the ship had arrived at the island, he'd been turned loose and told his job was to stay alive, at any cost. He hadn't been sure he'd wanted to, had even given in to thinking thoughts of suicide, of just swimming out into the ocean and letting himself sink into its inky depths. But he knew he couldn't do that. It wasn't the way of the ninja. And truth be told, he hadn't been ready to die.

He sat high up in a tree, his blue eyes like a hawk's. He'd spotted movement down in the tangled grasses, and wanted to stay away from it. Though he'd gotten used to killing in the arena, he still didn't take it lightly. It wasn't something he was proud of. A bird called into the sunlight a few feet away from him, and whatever was down in the grass ran, parting the blades like a wake. That was good; he hadn't really wanted another confrontation.

Inhaling so quietly no one would be able to tell he was breathing, he jumped down to the next branch, his movements like water. He continued down until he reached the ground. Crouching, he ran into the deep grass, hoping to put some distance between himself and the other thing. So far he hadn't seen any humans on the island, just other mutants. But these weren't mutants like him and his brothers and father: they were complete aberrations, monsters genetically built inside a laboratory, made specifically for fighting and killing. The two he'd already dispatched had been brutes with ugly twisted fish heads and nasty claws. They hadn't been much of a match for him, but that wasn't really the point. The point was that he'd have to keep killing to stay alive.

The flat ground suddenly gave way to a cliff, and he lay on his plastron to peer down. Below was a tiny beach, waves crashing mercilessly into it. The wind had come up in the last couple of hours, and the sunny blue sky was falling prey to a bank of dark clouds gathering off in the distance. He could smell the rain in the air. Good. He could wash off some of the monsters' blood that had splattered across his body during the fight. As he started to get to back into his crouch, his eyes caught a small movement further out to sea, and he shielded his eyes against the faint glare off the water.

A boat was riding up and down the big waves, trudging through the swells like a soldier. Leo's eyes narrowed as he focused hard on it. What kind of boat would be out there, with another storm coming in? There'd been several in the last week, each increasing in intensity. His eyes suddenly widened and his mouth fell open when he saw that it was a luxury yacht. _Are they lost? Why are they headed this way? _ The boat was slamming through the big waves now, riding each crest like bronco. As it came closer, he suddenly realized whose boat it was: Karai's. When he'd first been taken, they'd been on her boat for a while. He knew he'd never forget what it looked like, because it meant that his freedom was gone.

_But why is she coming here? _They hadn't been in contact for some time; he'd refused to talk to her when she'd visited the last time. The boat was pretty close to the island now, and Leo knew it wouldn't come much closer; there were too many rocks that surrounded the island. He squinted as he saw movement on the deck, and suddenly, his heart froze.

_No. Oh, God, no. Why? What are they doing here?_ He recognized the figures, and though he had a momentary thrill at seeing them all again, it fled within seconds. _Meli. No, no, they can't be here! They'll be killed!_ As good as his brothers and April were, he knew they stood little to no chance against the killers running loose on the island. He saw them all jump overboard, saw Raph grab onto Meli. His brother was still keeping a protective eye on her, as Leo had known he would. _I've got to warn them, get them to leave._ But the big yacht was already pulling away, revving up her engines and leaving the island behind.

Leo jumped to his feet, remembered the thing he'd seen in the grass, and dropped back into a crouch. He'd have to move fast, find a way down to the beach. He had to protect them. With the boat gone, there was no way off the island for them, and he refused to let any of his family get hurt or worse. _Meli. _Her name was a prayer to him, and as much as he hated the thought of her here, in infinite danger, he couldn't wait to see her. But as he began running, staying low, he realized that maybe she wouldn't be happy to see him, to find out just what he'd become. He stopped. He was a killer now, someone who killed daily. Yes, he did it because if he didn't, his opponent would kill him, but would his family see it that way? What if all they saw was what he'd done?

_If they knew what I've become, the things I've done..._and he knew, in some deep part of himself that he didn't ever want to examine, that he'd started not caring about the lives he'd taken. They'd become something for him to beat, not something to pity or have mercy on. There was no mercy in his life anymore. He huffed out a quiet breath, realizing he had a big decision to make. Did he reveal himself to his family, or let them aimlessly wander the island, hoping to find him? He knew he could shadow them, keep them safe from the other monsters roaming the island. _Meli, I want to see you, kiss you, hold you so bad, but I don't know if I deserve you anymore. I'm not who you fell in love with. I'm never going to be the same._ The harsh truth of that brought a few tears to his eyes, and he made his decision. He'd watch over his family from a distance, and make sure no one else harmed them. But there would be no happy reunion. He was no longer one of them.


	6. Survive

I don't own TMNT or its associated characters.

Thank you to those reviewing (Dondena, you are ever faithful, and of course BubblyShell22). I really appreciate it. Yes, Leo isn't too excited about his family being on the island, knowing how dangerous it is, and he feels his reasoning is sound for not going to them. We'll see how sound that reasoning stays.

LOYALTY

CHAPTER SIX: SURVIVE

Meli stood on the deck on the yacht, looking with great apprehension at the dark water below. April stood next to her, and wariness radiated off the redhead. Meli swallowed hard. She wasn't sure she could do this. The ship's captain had informed them that he wanted them off his boat before the next big storm hit, and that he would get as close to the shallows as he could. She didn't think this was nearly close enough to shore.

"I'm glad the boys are such good swimmers," April said. Her voice was uneasy. She leaned over the railing for a second and quickly straightened. "It's pretty rough down there."

"They'll take care of us," Meli said, trying to assure her. Both young women knew the turtles wouldn't let anything happen to them, but the journey to shore wasn't going to be easy.

"Here."

They both turned at Donnie's voice, and he held out life jackets to them. Raph and Mikey were right behind him. All three turtles wore big backpacks filled with food and water. They figured they could find shelter or make one once they reached the island. Donnie helped April with her jacket, and Raph did the same for Meli. He gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"Just relax," he said in a low tone. "Ya know you're safe with us."

"I do know." She turned to him once he'd helped her get it on. She fumbled with the straps before snapping them together. "But that doesn't mean I'm not still scared." Her voice shook a little, and he frowned and took her hand, leading her away from the others.

"I know it looks bad out there, Mel, but I promise, I'll protect you," he said, his deep green eyes solemn with his promise. "Just let me do the work, okay? Don't struggle or anything – you'll just make yourself tired."

"Okay." She took a deep breath, and saw one of the captain's men approaching. The wind had come up in the last five minutes, and the yacht, as big as she was, rocked constantly in the waves.

"The captain says to go now, before the storm hits," the man said. He was tall, with a big booming voice. "Go now."

"Yeah, yeah, we heard ya," Raph grumbled. He took Meli's hand and led her back over to the others. Donnie was holding April's hand tightly within his, and Mikey stood on her other side. Raph met Donnie's eyes, and then said, "Mikey, you stay with Donnie and April. I've got Meli. Get to shore as fast you can." His voice was firm with a commanding ring to it. "Ready?"

"Um, no?" Meli said as he led her over to the railing. "We're jumping?" She couldn't help the fright in her voice. Raph nodded his head.

"Yeah." He tipped her chin up, and she knew he saw her fear. "Together, Meli, okay?" He glanced at Donnie. "You three hold hands when you go in. Don't let go."

"We won't," Donnie said. He took April's right hand, and Mikey took her left. Meli knew the waves would have to extremely strong to rip her sister away from the two. Raph reached for her left hand and she clung hard to his right one, feeling him give hers a squeeze.

"Alright – let's do this," he said loudly to be heard over the wind. They moved to the spot in the railing where there was an opening, Raph squeezed her hand again, and they jumped.

She remembered to keep her mouth closed and to take a deep breath right before they hit the water, just in case she went under. The water did close over her head for a second or two, but before panic could rise and take control, Raph was guiding her upward and when she surfaced, gasping, he wrapped his left arm around her, holding her close and tight. "Got ya, Meli," he said into her ear. "Just hold onto me."

"Okay," she said, struggling not to panic. The other three jumped and she held her breath as she waited for them to surface. When they did, the boat revved her engines and began moving off. She knew the life jackets she and April wore would help keep them at the surface, and make it easier on the guys, too, but her healthy fear of water wasn't easy to repress. Raph turned toward the island, which suddenly seemed an impossible distance away, and started swimming.

She had always been amazed at how strong the guys all were, even Mikey, who was shorter and smaller than his three older brothers. But now, with Raph holding her securely with one arm and swimming with the other, she marveled at their strength all over again. Donnie and Mikey pulled April effortlessly through the water. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she'd imagined.

But the wind had built into a roar, whipping the dark water into a frenzy. A wave rose above them, and Raph ordered, "Hold your breath!" She took a deep one as the water crashed over them, driving them down, and even with her life jacket, she knew she was being pushed far under the water. She felt Raph struggle to swim up and wished she could help him, but his grip around her prevented it. They reached the surface seconds later, Raph taking a deep breath and her gasping.

"Raph, let me swim, too," she said, but her words were thrown away by the wind as another wave hit them hard. She choked as water slid into her mouth and gagged her. Full-blown panic hit her and she struggled against Raph. He gave her a squeeze and pulled her back to the surface.

"Don't talk!" he called out to her. Another wave sank them, and Meli swallowed more of the heavy salt water. She felt fuzzy, like she was moving through a slow dream state. She felt Raph squeeze her again and knew she needed to hold her breath, but her lungs were so tight, and she was suddenly so tired. Her eyes drifted closed. "Meli! Wake up!" Raph's harsh cries jolted her, and she inhaled hard, gasping. They were at the surface, and Raph was trying to stay on top of the massive waves rolling in toward the beach. She glanced around frantically for the others, and didn't see them. Fear burned brightly through her and she clung fiercely to Raph.

"R-Raph…" She saw the wave seconds before it hit them, and this time the force was too much. She was torn from her brother's grip and went end-over-end through the water, trying desperately not to breathe any in. She fought to swim, but wasn't sure which way was up – the water was dirty with the sand from the bottom being swirled around. She felt herself scrape the bottom and pushed herself off with her legs as hard as she could. She finally reached the surface and sucked in as much air as she could. "Raph!" she yelled, spinning in the water, searching for him. He had to be here – he was a much better swimmer, and she'd made it back. He surfaced for a few seconds suddenly, five feet away, gasping.

"Meli! His voice was panicky, and his eyes were wide with incredible fright. He disappeared beneath the water, and she realized he was drowning. She swam as fast as she could to where she'd seen him go down, took a deep breath, and dove.

And popped back to the surface a few seconds later, her life jacket doing its job. But she'd seen him – he'd somehow gotten caught in some old ropes, which had encircled him, rendering his arms and legs pretty much useless. He'd been trying to reach his sai, but his arms were bound too tightly by the rope. He was nearly fifteen feet below, and she knew he was running out of air. Even though the boys could hold their breaths a long time, she knew it wasn't indefinite. She knew what she had to do. She undid the latches on the life jacket, slipped out of it, took a few deep breaths, and dove again.

When she finally reached him, he was still holding his breath, still fighting. She touched his face, and he jerked, his eyes widening when he saw her without her life jacket. She tugged on the ropes binding him, and tried to slip one of his sai free, knowing if she could, she'd be able to free him. He quit struggling and just watched her, and she knew some of that was him trying to conserve whatever air was left in his lungs. She pulled on the rope, willing it to give a little. Her own lungs were starting to burn, and she blinked hard. _Come on, you can do this! Raph is drowning!_ He'd saved her once before, when she thought she too, was drowning. He'd gotten her to the surface and then breathed life back into her. She jerked hard on the rope, and it gave a tiny little bit, just enough that she could slide a sai free from his belt. Blinking furiously, trying to hold her breath, she slid the sai along the rope restraining his arms and it immediately sliced through. Raph pulled his arms loose, grabbed the sai from her and cut his legs free. He sheathed the sai, grabbed her around the waist and swam hard for the surface.

They broke through the water and Meli's lungs were so tight she could barely draw a breath. Next to her, Raph was heaving and gasping, his arm sporadically tightening and loosening around her as he fought to get air back into his parched lungs. He cast a wild-eyed look at her. "Breathe, Meli," he rasped. "Breathe!" She tried, but after holding her breath for so long, her lungs didn't want to respond. He gave her a good hard slap on the back, and she coughed, her lungs finally spasming and taking in air. Another wave pushed them down, but Raph got them back to the surface quickly, and held her tight to his plastron. She wound one arm around his neck, breathing hard.

"Got you," he said, his voice rough from swallowing so much salt water. "Shore," he said, pointing. She turned her head, and saw that it was true - they were only thirty feet or so away from a small beach. He started swimming, but his motions were more labored now, and she prayed they would make it before his strength gave out. The waves were still strong, but now they pushed her and Raph toward the shore, and he let them sweep them along. Once Meli could touch, he eased his grip on her, and she put her arm around his waist, supporting him. They stumbled out of the water, and Raph went down hard on his knees, breathing deep and coughing. Meli fell on her knees next to him, closing her eyes and concentrating on breathing in and out. She could hardly believe that they'd made it, and prayed the other three had made it, too.

"You all right?" Raph asked her, putting a hand on her back.

"I think so. You?" she asked.

"Yeah." He rolled over onto his back, swore and sat up. "Damn it. I lost the backpack," he said. He looked at her, and his eyes softened. "You sure you're okay? That was really intense."

"It was," she agreed quietly. "But I'm okay." She paused for a second, studying him. "Are you really okay? You were under for a long time." She couldn't help the apprehension in her voice. She needed her older brother to be all right.

He closed his eyes for a second. "Yeah, thanks to you." He opened them and looked at her, his eyes darkening with temper. "You should've left your jacket on. If a wave had caught you wrong..." He shook his head, unable to voice what could've happened. She shuddered.

"I know, but...Raph, you were drowning." She whispered the last word, disturbed by how much it upset her. "If I hadn't gotten your sai free, you would've died. That wasn't an option, okay? I wasn't going to leave you." She spoke with a fierceness that surprised both of them, and Raph slowly nodded. He reached out and took her hand, holding it to his plastron.

"You're right - I was trapped, and I needed you." His voice wavered, and she hugged him hard, holding him close to her. "Thank you, sis. I owe you one," he whispered.

"You saved me, too, Raph. I never would've made it here without you." She pulled back and smiled at him. "We protected each other."

He smiled back. "We did." Getting to his feet, he held his hand out to her. "We need to find the others, and find some shelter. That storm is going to break any second, and it's gonna be bad. C'mon." She let him lead her across the beach, a few shivers twitching down her spine as she thought of how close she'd come to losing him. He squeezed her hand in reassurance, and they were soon at the edge of the small beach.

"Where now?" she asked, glancing around. A pain shot through her chest, and she inhaled sharply, causing him to spin around and look at her, eyes narrowed in concern.

"Mel? You really okay? You swallow a lot of water?" he asked her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

She nodded, and said, "I tried not to, but it was hard, and when we got separated, it took me awhile to get back to the surface. I barely made it."

"And then you came to my rescue." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Tell me right away if you have trouble breathing, okay? You might have water in your lungs, and that can cause a lot of problems." His voice was firm, and she nodded.

"How do you know that?" she asked as they resumed looking for a path off the beach.

"I watch some of those medical shows sometimes. One of them talked about 'dry drowning,' or 'secondary drowning.' It happens after you've gotten a lot of water in your lungs, and didn't get all of it out. You basically drown anyway." His voice was low, and he glanced at her. "Don't worry, I know what to do if it happens."

"That's good. It sounds scary," she said, shuddering.

He gave her shoulders a squeeze and then pointed upward. "Looks like a trail goes up here. Think you can climb?"

"Yes." She took a deep breath, ignoring the burn in her lungs. If Leo was on this island, she was going to find him.

He gave her a dubious look, but started up the steep trail anyway. Meli scrambled after him. Overhead, thunder rippled across the sky, and a flash of lightning made her duck her head. It seemed much scarier out here; in New York, the storms, even when they grew fierce, were always muted by the lights and sounds of the Big Apple. Raph glanced back at her. "You doing okay?"

"Yes." She forced herself not to think about the weather. "I'm tough," she told him, trying to smile.

"No doubt about that," he said over his shoulder. "Almost there." He pulled one of his sai, and a chill swept through her. A few rain drops splattered down on the ground around them, and she willed herself to go faster. She didn't want to be out in the open when the skies opened up. Raph reached the top and turned, holding his hand out to her. She accepted his help gratefully and stared at the land around them.

They were on a cliff overlooking the beach, and tall grasses surrounded them, coming just above her waist. Trees formed a forest not far away, and the scent of rain was heavy in the air. Raph started walking, each stride purposeful. "We better find shelter before that storm lets loose," he said. She followed, still in awe of their surroundings. She'd never spent much time outside the city, and this all seemed foreign and scary. Infinitely glad she had her older brother with her, she stayed close to him. He flashed a quick grin at her. "Don't worry, Meli. You're safe with me, remember?"

"I know," she said, her tone emphatic. Boy, she did know that. After everything they'd been through together, there was no one she trusted more, save for Leo. A sting of pain touched her heart as she thought of him, and she bit her lip. They were going to find him, if he was here. They had to.

As they reached the tree line, the rain came down hard and heavy, and she huddled beneath the arm Raph wrapped around her shoulders. The undergrowth was thick and lush, and she tripped, feeling Raph lift her so she stayed on her feet. He crouched down next to a big bush and pulled her around him into his lap, put his arms around her and bent his head over her so her body was mostly covered. The rain pounded down harder, and she tried to calm the racing of her heart. She was safe. Raph wouldn't let any harm come to her, and, she knew, she wouldn't let any come to him, either.

Ten minutes later, the rain had calmed down to a steady shower, and Raph got to his feet, helping her to hers. Taking her hand, he started through the forest again, and this time she was more careful where she put her feet. A loud growl off to their right had him stopping and drawing both sai, his stance a combat one. "Stay behind me," he whispered, and she nodded at him. He didn't have to tell her that twice. The growl came again, and she shivered. She'd never heard anything so creepy, so, so utterly..._primal_. The hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention, and she looked over her shoulder, a scream suddenly erupting from her throat.

Raph spun around just in time to hold off a nasty-looking mutant with a gorilla head and lion's body. "Get back!" he yelled to Meli, and she ran toward the nearest tree, pressing up against it as Raph fought the mutant. The creature leapt at him, and he ducked, striking it with both sai as it sailed over him, roaring in pain. "Meli, climb!" Raph directed as he turned in a circle with the creature, his green eyes focused entirely on his opponent. Meli jumped, trying to catch hold of the nearest tree branch so she could pull herself up. She caught it and started pulling herself up, when the branch snapped, drawing the creature's attention. It broke off its attack on Raph and began stalking toward her. She scrambled to her feet, the pain of landing square on her back pushed away by the terror spreading through her.

"Raph, help," she said. She knew it was pointless to run, and climbing was out of the question now.

"Stay calm," he called to her, and she chanced a look at him. His eyes had gone opaque and looked blank, but she knew they were anything but. The creature snarled and struck out at her with a huge paw. She ducked back and came up against the tree.

"Help!" she screamed as the animal leapt. Raph hurled himself forward at the same time, and landed on its back. He snarled something beneath his breath and drove both sai into its spine. There was a snapping sound, and the creature yelped and fell at Meli's feet, its paws twitching. She fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands. Her breathing was harsh, and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Meli." Raph was next to her, one hand on her back, patting it. "C'mon, Mel, take a breath. You're safe. I've got you, okay? I promise." His voice was tense, and he tried to pry her hands away from her face. "C'mon, sis, give me somethin' here. Breathe."

She couldn't stop the long shudders rippling through her body. When she finally dropped her hands, she looked into his deep green eyes, seeing his intense concern for her. "I-I can't do this, Raph. I-I just can't," she whispered, shaking her head. "I thought I could, but this is just, it's too much." She looked past him to the creature. It was still twitching, and a low moan escaped its foaming mouth.

"Hey." He took her face in his rough hands and made her look at him. "We didn't make that swim just to give up here. You're tough. You can do this. I know you can." He studied her for a few seconds. "And you've got me. I promised you, I'd protect you, no matter what. You trust me?"

"Of course," she whispered.

"Good. Get up and let's go find Leo." He got to his feet, pulling her up with him. She took a deep breath and tried to focus, like Leo had taught her. Raph was right. They'd come this far, and if Leo was here, they had to find him and bring him home.

"Thanks, Raph. I needed that," she said.

He nodded. "You're welcome. Follow me, and stay close." He moved off further into the forest, his strides hard and determined, and she knew that they'd be okay. They needed to find Donnie, April and Mikey and regroup, and then search the entire island. They would survive, because they had one another. With renewed spirits, Meli followed her older brother into the wilderness.


End file.
